The backlash to president-elect Donald Trump's appointment of Steve Bannon — former head of Breitbart News, a favorite among the alt-right — to the role of chief White House strategist has been swift. Since the announcement was made on Sunday, one petition calling for Trump to rescind the appointment has garnered more than 270,000 signatures, and prominent figures such as Lena Dunham have spoken out against Bannon. Now, it seems, condemnation of Bannon has risen all the way to the House of Representatives.

A letter urging Trump to rescind the appointment has been signed by 169 House Democrats and sent to Trump Tower, reports the Boston Globe.

"In your election night speech you said, 'Now it's time for American to bind the wounds of division. It is time for us to come together as one united people,'" the letter reads. "Unfortunately, your appointment of Stephen Bannon, whose ties the White Nationalist movement have been well-documented, directly undermines your ability to unite the country. As elected representatives of millions of Americans from diverse backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities, we strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to appoint Mr. Bannon to White House Chief Strategist."

The letter also notes that Bannon's appointment has been celebrated by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and American Nazi Party chairman Rocky J. Suhayda, and Bannon has bragged in the past that Breitbart was "the platform for the alt right." He has also been accused of anti-Semitism.

Rep. David N. Cicilline of Rhode Island first circulated the letter in the House. Cicilline wrote on Twitter, "This country needs a diverse White House staff that is committed to the core American values of inclusiveness, diversity and tolerance." The letter has prompted representatives from several other states to speak out against Bannon's appointment as well.